Dhoni to head for new shores; Will he be back for one final 'Whistle Podu'?
Mahendra Dhoni will turn out for one of the two new franchises that will replace suspended CSK and RR in IPL 2016, the Times of India reported on Saturday. The Indian ODI captain has been part of CSK for all eight seasons of the tournament, after being purchased for the then record price of $1.5 million, and leading the team to great heights ever since the inaugural IPL 2008.
“Dhoni will definitely feature in the IPL for a new team. There is absolutely no pressure from CSK to stop him and the next edition of the IPL will see him in action,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed source close to the development as saying. “He (Dhoni) is the Indian captain in ODIs and T20. How can he not play in an important event like the IPL?” the source added.
The Indian cricket board’s working committee is to invite fresh bids for two new teams to participate for 2016 and 2017 after deciding not to scrap the two tainted franchises. The decision ensures their return in 2018 after serving out the suspension as recommended by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha committee on the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. This also implies that Dhoni has a definite chance of returning to his adopted home at Chepauk after two years.
The two new franchise buyers haven’t been identified yet. However, according to reports, six top players from CSK and RR could be inducted into the new franchises with the rest going into the auction pool.
“We won't say Dhoni's association with CSK is over, but for now, he will play for some other team,” the source further told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, India Cements officials brushed off the controversy surrounding Dhoni’s visit to the residence of former Indian cricket board president N Srinivasan on Thursday. Srinivasan, the current International Cricket Council chairman, had to detach himself from CSK, which he had owned, due to conflict of interest.
“Dhoni’s flight to Mumbai was at 1:30 p.m. He knows us for years and called up Mr Srinivasan and came down to have masala dosa for breakfast," the source added. Reportedly CSK was not discussed at the meeting. “It was all very personal. They spoke about Dhoni's daughter, his business, and so many other things. Dhoni has always had a very good relationship with Srinivasan and it’s obvious that he will come and meet him if he is in Chennai.”
“Those who are criticizing Dhoni for meeting Srinivasan should also know that he is also the vice-president of the company (India Cements). Isn't it natural that he will meet the managing director of the same company, if he is in the city?”